ypw wrote: "I've got some ladder cables, which I've tried installing in my garage for practice. Big honking pain trying to get them on tight (and reaching the back at the bottom). I stuff them in the trunk, but have never been asked to show them. I've been past chain checkpoints on US-50, I-80, CA-89, and Wawona Road - always one look at my left front tire, see the Subaru logo, and a wave tby bpnjensen - General Discussion
I've had great luck with cables on everything from modest fresh snow to ice; and chains just won't fit on my vehicle without mashing up the paint job. The clearance is just too close. I won't go driving through heavy unplowed snow anyway.by bpnjensen - General Discussion
MSHNVM has a slightly different status than a usual NM - it is run by the DoA - Forest Service instead of the DoI - NPS, which has a somewhat different management style overall, and which also (along with BLM) is sort of a poor stepsister to the NPs/NMs. NPS status would probably net it more funding from the U.S. general annual budget. Having said that, more conventional NP status is no guaranby bpnjensen - General Discussion
I've been seeing more mountain lions the last few years here in the SF Bay Area. Many years ago, our first sighting was at Sunol Regional Wilderness up in the McGuire Peaks area; at a rather large distance, he looked like a big rubber band running along the hillside...what a flexible animal! More recently, we've been seeing them late at night while driving home from astronomy events in the hiby bpnjensen - General Discussion
On top of all of this, deer have very sharp hooves, and are not afraid to use them. Like all critters, they deserve respect and the most understanding a person can muster.by bpnjensen - General Discussion
The horse trail? I don't think there is another...by bpnjensen - General Discussion
Our winter storm progressions in CA in most recent years seem to be bimodal, that is, we have two peaks - one in the fall, and another coming in around late February-March. Their strength and durations vary quite a bit. Sometimes, the storms come every day for a month or more, like 2004-2005 and 2005-2006, and sometimes they just sputter few times and end, like in 2006-2007. It doesn't seem toby bpnjensen - General Discussion
Very cute critter! Might be a ground squirrel, though. Chipmunks usually have that stripe continuing over their eyes. View here: http://www.nps.gov/archive/romo/images/resources/checklists/mammals/least_chipmunk.jpgby bpnjensen - General Discussion
My son and I went up there in January. Some reasonable hard work will get you to the trail at the base of the cliff/top of the talus below Glacier Point, but I won't kid you - after walking/scrambling up about another 1/4 mile to the sign that says to go back, you see a cliff face that looks soberingly unstable. I would not go under it in the winter when the ice can crack off rocks, and I am noby bpnjensen - General Discussion
Wow! I'd love to see this - do you know if anyone has posted any videos of this happening? That's a darn good reason not to go with that method anymore.by bpnjensen - General Discussion
Steve wrote: >Bruce, thank you for the information. Though the bag or canister is still the law, I may want to try your hanging method too. What does counterbalance mean when it comes to hanging the bag?< It means that you have two bags (cotton, nylon or whatever) of roughly equal size, and that you have one bag hanging on each end of the rope slipped over a branch. First you throw theby bpnjensen - General Discussion
One time, even the oral steroids didn't help me...the dang rash just kept on erupting. Had to get a shot in the keester to quell it - yeeouch!by bpnjensen - General Discussion
Just a note on bagging - I used the plain old cotton bag counterbalance system for years and years before the cannisters became required, and never once had a bear or any other animal get my stuff. In retrospect, I have to assume that the great majority of people had real trouble doing this right, and thus lost their food and prompted the new rule (in fact, we saw scads of badly performed food hby bpnjensen - General Discussion
Well, there *should* be zero deaths from any cause in national parks - after all, we're there for fun and recreation and education, not suicide. However, nature is dangerous, and people being what they are, and with people coming in numbers that they do (100s of millions of visits annually), someone is bound to be bitten, mauled, burned, dessicated, dropped off a cliff, floated over a waterfall,by bpnjensen - General Discussion
It seems to me that it would be at least worthwhile for it to stop at Lodgepole Campground Visitor Center/General Store and at Wolverton; perhaps another bus that would connect these two with either General Sherman or the museum? That would complete the set of important stops, and help to get folks out of their cars.by bpnjensen - General Discussion
For what it is worth, actual "death by Grizzly" in Yellowstone is limited to less than one can count on two hands. For all their bad rep, over 100,000,000 visitors to Yellowstone have enjoyed the park without dying from grizzly attack or anything else. Only a few have bene attacked, and only about 6 or 7 have been verifiably killed. Also, if one reads Death In Yellowstone, one will nby bpnjensen - General Discussion
The rule at Yellowstone for *approaching* animals is 100 yards for bears, and 25 yards for any other animal. To the 100 rule I would usually add wolves - not because they are dangerous, but because they are so sensitive to human intrusion. Then there is the general rule that if the animal takes notice of you, back off. At times, it is OK if you are approached by other animals more closely thanby bpnjensen - General Discussion
It appears tentatively that Cole was approaching too close to a mother and a cub by Trout Creek in Hayden Valley, Yellowstone, in order to obtain photographs. His camera and digital images have been secured to try find out what happened. As of last night, he was in intensive care/critical condition and using a ventilator - we hope he recovers, and finally learns his lesson. Right now there areby bpnjensen - General Discussion
I feel that you have a funny perspective on Chilnualna - it has never struck me as superior to the Mist Trail in any way. The water flow is decidely smaller than the Merced River, the falls are smaller, and the hike itself is slightly longer and requires much more effort to get to the first big reward, which is a distant partial view of the biggest cataract. Not only that, but let's face it, thby bpnjensen - General Discussion
Vince wrote: "And you can sit on the rock where John Muir started the Sierra Club. I'm no fan of the Sierra Club since they became radical, but the rock is the rock. Take yourself back 100 years." FWIW, John Muir was quite a radical himself at the time, and made plenty of waves with his strongly progressive views. I am upset with the SC myself these days for many reasons, but in someby bpnjensen - General Discussion
My wife's grandfather got married to a very old flame after his first wife died. One time, before I met my own wife and when she was a young 'un, her family took her grandfather and his new wife to Yosemite. Her grandfather had seen and appreciated the place many times, but it was the new wife's first visit. Afterward, my wife's family never knew whether it was her generally cantankerous waysby bpnjensen - General Discussion
Regarding Lodgepole, actually, swimming can be accompliished in the river there (it is pretty shallow come August, but its great for the kids) and I have never had too much trouble getting some late camping reservations there...much less crowded or busy than Yosemite before I wrote it off, I'd give it a try. Crystal cave is nearby, as are nice small-summit day hikes like the Baldies, and the waby bpnjensen - General Discussion
Eeek - thanks for keeping us apprised of key goings-on at the Park. We greatly appreciate it :-)by bpnjensen - General Discussion
This is cool. Maybe there is some way to parlay this into an increased effort to preserve Chile's stands of magnificant cedars and spectacular deep river valleys before they are all flooded for hydro power.by bpnjensen - General Discussion
On this website: http://www.counterassault.com/Personal_Protection/counter_assault_personal_prote.html There is a note under laws that says: "California: No person shall purchase, possess, or use any pepper spray that contains more than 2.5 ounces (70.875 grams) net weight of aerosol spray. (The OC10-2F, PDF-2 and SD-2 are all 40 grams, so we can ship these items to California. Our Bearby bpnjensen - General Discussion
Thus spake Y.P.W. : >> > I am wondering where the mention of the 2.5 oz. limitation > comes from - my bear spray cannisters are something like 10 oz. > plus, and shoot 30 feet or so. The ones that REI sells. I found some mention here from a seller of self-defense OC pepper spray: http://www.peacemakerpepperspray.com/page/894784 CALIFORNIA - It is illegal to purchase, possess, oby bpnjensen - General Discussion
I am wondering where the mention of the 2.5 oz. limitation comes from - my bear spray cannisters are something like 10 oz. plus, and shoot 30 feet or so. The ones that REI sells. I have never needed one despite many grizzly bear sightings. I have never considered using them with black bears. Again, respect and and keeping one's distance are the keys to benign encounters. Most of the time youby bpnjensen - General Discussion
movingzachb wrote: > I was in Yellowstone watching a bear come out of the woods > towards a group of tourists. It is against the law for anyone > in that state ( and probably California to ) to be within 100 > yards of a bear without a forest ranger present. Technically, it is illegal to *approach* to within 100 yards in Yellowstone - if you stop and the bear gets a bit closer to yoby bpnjensen - General Discussion
Quote: >>Hanging your food is a poor choice. Bears are surprisingly agile and can climb practically anything. Story 2- We were backpacking and stored all our food properly. A large group of 20 people camped not too far from us (how nice of them). They had 10 bear canisters of food, but it was the first night, they didn't have room for all of the food in the canisters, and they hung theirby bpnjensen - General Discussion
I don't know about housekeeping camp - they are usually fairly popular - but there are usually a few tent cabins available at Curry Village. I'd give them a call. Bruce Jensenby bpnjensen - General Discussion